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* the glass factory. *
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,,,,,,,-»\ several centuries after it had last \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* belonged to us, we went on an outing to *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ the glass factory that bore our family ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# name. it had changed owners many times #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ since our ancestors death, and then @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# stood abandoned for a long while. #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## finally, the natural end station for ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# the buildings that survive: a museum, #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ and a gift shop. @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ there's a long time since my family ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* made anything. by many, we would be *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ considered poor. \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- there are two main factory buildings, -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, domed things of several floors, made in ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, reminescent of some cathedral. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- custom-made glass, of course, large and -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ practical. on the eastern building, \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* some are shattered. *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# the other one is publicly open. there's #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ a museum, with wax figures of my great @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# great great grandfather, or something. #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## various tools (or replicas) laid out on ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# tables, with explaining texts. a lot of #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ glass of varying thickness. @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ ** ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* ** ** *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» ** ** »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- ** -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, other building. the contrast is ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- overwhelming. it must have stood -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» derelict for a long time, windows »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ broken, metallic trash and pools of \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* dark glass all over the floor. no *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ electric lights, but i can see by the ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# light that shines in wherever the dark #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ windows are missing a pane. @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## however, the greatest difference is the ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# higher floors: this building has none. #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ it is one massive hall, stretching away @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# infinitely above me. somewhere up there #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ is some great iron latticework, from ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* where chains are suspended, and parts *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ of machinery has been falling down. \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- there is, in the middle of the great -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, hall, a thin spiral staircase that ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, leads up there. i sneak over there, and ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, take a few reluctant steps. after just ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- a revolution, i notice that for each -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» step the building starts to glow, the »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ bricks turning a dark red, and then \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* orange, all the piled up debree being *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ lit from behind. ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ i stop ready to run down and out, but @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# there's someone else on the staircase #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## with me now, pressed close. he's ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# looking like me, short hair and thin #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ arms, but with ears from some animal, @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# and more disturbingly, completely made #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ of dark liquid glass. ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ ** \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» ** ** »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- my fear holds me in place while he -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» starts operating levers and dials set »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ in the center of the staircase. slowly, \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* it starts spinning, circling upwards. *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ it's an elevator! i start to run ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# downwards, but now the liquid boy #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ creature grabs hold of me. i try to @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# shake him off, but he's too strong, and #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## pulls me back up beside him. ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ this time, i turn angry instead. what @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# the hell? who is this guy, acting like #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ this? i reach out my free arm and slam ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* a random lever. some metal bar is *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ suddenly released between us, hitting \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» him on the arm, forcing my release. i »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- shove him off of me, and he falls into -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, the levers, messing them up. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, curtain is dropped around me. but the ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- elevator also speeds up significantly. -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ the walls are flaring now, yellow, \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* white, almost blue. i close my eyes and *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ curl into a ball. but then, the glass ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# boy screams, a piercing sound that #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ forces my eyes back open. i watch as he @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# becomes too liquid, his body pooling #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## down in his now massive tail, and the ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ drop that falls toward the factory @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# floor. #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* he's crawling on the stairs, unable to *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ keep his body upright. can't reach the \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» levers, claws at my chainmail cage, »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- while his body is turning into dark -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, pearls. finally, he's lost too much of ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, himself and the scream is cut short. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, the last of him rains down. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» i still can't reach the levers from »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ within my cage. looking up, i try to \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* make out the ceiling, but it's all a *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ whirling sea of colours. below me glows ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# the hellfire of the factory walls, but #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ very faint. i sit down, curl back up, @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# become still. #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# ** #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ ** ** @#¤*\»-,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ ** ** ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* ** *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» a large clunk shakes my entire body, »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- and snaps me back into reality. i'm -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, back at the factory floor, but the ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, stairs are still moving slightly, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, clicking in place, carrying me the last ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- few centimeters. i came from below, -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» somehow. the chainmail is retracted, »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»\ and i slowly dismount the stairs. \»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-»\* *\»-,,,,,,
,,,,,-»\*¤ shaking and crying, i make my way over ¤*\»-,,,,,
,,,,-»\*¤# the factory floor, wading through dark #¤*\»-,,,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ glass marbles. a quick glance down, and @#¤*\»-,,,
,,-»\*¤#@# i see there's something faint inside #@#¤*\»-,,
,-»\*¤#@## them. embryos? are these eggs? ##@#¤*\»-,
,,-»\*¤#@# #@#¤*\»-,,
,,,-»\*¤#@ i shudder, and climb back out. @#¤*\»-,,,
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